Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft Authenticator acts as a secure repository for your account credentials to help you authenticate and access various applications conveniently.

Authenticator may list inactive accounts that are created by other applications that use Authenticator for single sign-on support. These inactive accounts don't need any management and can be safely ignored. 

Authenticator will deny authentications where there is a discrepancy between GPS-reported locations.

Authenticator push notifications can include your location to provide better sign-in security. The app uses your phone's operating system to provide the location, and in some cases, may show an incorrect or approximate address.

Authenticator requires your mobile device clock to accurately report your local time. If your device clock is set to manual, reconfigure your system clock to automatic. After updating your clock, restart your device and make sure the new time is set correctly.

If you're getting notifications, but not an alert, even with your ringer on, you should check your app settings. Make sure the app is turned on to use sound or to vibrate for notifications. If you don't get notifications at all, you should check the following conditions:

• Is your phone in Do Not Disturb or Quiet mode? These modes can prevent apps from sending notifications.

• Can you get notifications from other apps? If not, it could be a problem with the network connections on your phone, or the notifications channel from Android or Apple. You can try to resolve your network connections through your phone settings. You might need to talk to your service provider to help with the Android or Apple notifications channel.

• Can you get notifications for some accounts on the app, but not others? If yes, remove the problematic account from your app, add it again allowing notifications, and see if that fixes the problem.

Go to your device's Settings and make sure push notifications are enabled and you have network connectivity. You can also remove your account and attempt the sign-in again. If you are still not able to add your account, please contact Support for personal accounts or reach out to your IT admin for work/school accounts.

In order to use Authenticator on Android for your work or school account, push notifications for the app must be enabled and Google Play Services and the Google Play Store must be downloaded and enabled.

If you still have trouble, check these settings:

• Make sure the device requires a PIN or biometric to unlock. Try to re-enable faceID or fingerprint in the device settings and restart the device. Use the faceID or fingerprint to unlock the device after restart, then try to re-enable passwordless for the account in Microsoft Authenticator.

• If you are using Android for Work or Work Profile, make sure the PIN or biometric is enabled for the profile in Microsoft Authenticator.

• Make sure the device has hardware encryption enabled. For steps to enable hardware encryption, see Encrypt your Android device .

• Make sure the device is registered. Open Authenticator > Settings > Device Registration. Make sure the account is registered for passwordless and is joined to you work or school. Sign-in with this account on the device registration page, then try enabling passwordless for the account.

• Check that your phone is not running any malware like a rootkit for example.

If you are still not able to add your account, please contact Support or reach out to your IT admin.

Go to your device's Settings and make sure push notifications are enabled and you have network connectivity. You can also remove your account and attempt the sign-in again. If you are still not able to add your account, please contact Support for personal accounts or reach out to your IT admin for work/school accounts.

Please contact Support for personal accounts or reach out to your IT admin for work/school accounts.

In order to use Authenticator on Android for your work or school account, push notifications for the app must be enabled and Google Play Services and the Google Play Store must be downloaded and enabled.

If you still have trouble, check these settings:

• Make sure the device requires a PIN or biometric to unlock. Try to re-enable faceID or fingerprint in the device settings and restart the device. Use the faceID or fingerprint to unlock the device after restart, then try to re-enable passwordless for the account in Microsoft Authenticator.

• If you are using Android for Work or Work Profile, make sure the PIN or biometric is enabled for the profile in Microsoft Authenticator.

• Make sure the device has hardware encryption enabled. For steps to enable hardware encryption, see Encrypt your Android device.

• Make sure the device is registered. Open Authenticator > Settings > Device Registration. Make sure the account is registered for passwordless and is joined to your work or school. Sign-in with this account on the device registration page, then try enabling passwordless for the account.

• Check that your phone is not running any malware like a rootkit for example.

If you are still not able to add your account, please contact Support or reach out to your IT admin.

Go to Settings and make sure push notifications are enabled and you have network connectivity. You can also remove your account and attempt the sign in again. If you are still not able to add your account, please contact Support or reach out to your IT admin.

The most common cause of failed imports is incorrect formatting in the CSV file. One of the following steps could help you troubleshoot the issue.

• If we don’t currently support importing the format of your password manager, try creating your CSV file manually using the steps in Export by creating a CSV, above.

• Ensure that the first row of your exported CSV contains a header with three columns: URL,  username, and  password, and ensure that each row contains a value in the URL and password columns.

If nothing else works, please report your issue using the  Send Feedback link from Authenticator settings.

If you received an "Authentication did not complete" message it could be for one of the following reasons:

• App is locked: Make sure Microsoft Authenticator is unlocked on your device. Sometimes, the entry box might not appear if the app is locked.

• Silent Notifications: If notifications are silent or disabled, you might not receive the necessary prompts to complete authentication. Make sure notifications are enabled for the app. Check your text messages for authentication codes which may have arrived silently.

• Outdated app version: Using an outdated version of the Microsoft Authenticator app can cause issues. Make sure you have the latest version installed.

• Network issues: If your device is not connected to the internet, or if there are network disruptions, the authentication process might fail. Switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data can sometimes resolve this.

• Device settings: Ensure that your device’s date and time settings are correct.

• Forgot password: If you can't sign in because you forgot your credentials, you can try to reset your password.
  ​​​​​​​Reset your password